I've got a feeling...

...that this weekend is going to be a good weekend....

Cierra had a sleepover with her friend and they went to Chickfila for a "Super Hero's" breakfast...turns out it was the wrong Saturday, but they still had fun. She also got to go see "Where the Wild Things Are."

She looks so cute as an Incredible:)

Dylan was finally able to have his sleepover for his birthday. Here he is with his friend Sheldon and Jonus.

At Skateland...I love that skating is still "in".

Motherhood: A reflection

October is a busy month for us. We celebrated Dylan's 9th birthday and Tyler and Landon's 3rd birthday.

It's a bit strange to have a 9 year old. I of course feel like it was just yesterday that Dylan entered this world after 3 1/2 hours of pushing ( had to throw that in ). He has brought nothing but joy and he began my journey of motherhood. Being a new mom I was armed with tons of "I will nevers". Such as: I will never feed my child formula (Dylan had formula starting at 6 weeks because breastfeeding proved to really hard.) I will never say "no" to my child. (Yeah right.) I remember napping with him on the couch..him snuggled under my arm perfectly. It was pure bliss to me. I knew him so well. The first time he got hurt I cried more than he did. He was the smartest baby EVER... his dad and I were convinced that at 3 months he was saying "I love you". I miss those days. The simple state of feeling capable. I felt so capable of being a mother to this one little boy. I was good at doting on him, smothering him with love and spoiling him with kisses.

As life goes on and more children have joined our family I have been amazed at the capacity of love you are given as a mother. There is always more room in your heart for the next child...To love them just as you do the ones before. Feelings of inadequacy come when I feel that I can't possibly give each child the individual attention they need and deserve. I don't think there is a night that I don't lie in bed and do a "time inventory" in my head. Did I spend enough time with each child? Did I make them feel like an important individual? With a lot of kids in our family it can be easy to group them...meaning I focus on the group of them and not on them individually. But then I see them interact with each other and how they cheer each other on, defend each other, love each other, and then I think I may be doing something right.

Tyler and Landon...what can I say....it has been really....interesting.....and wonderful! The early days were a bit hairy. I look back now and wonder how I survived. Two colicky babies, no sleep, crying ALLLL day long. It is no wonder I have a few gray hairs and some fine lines. (Absolutely has nothing to do with the fact that I am in my 30's now;))

I can not picture my life without them. They are a blessing in ways they will never know. They are so loved by us all. They bring laughter and happiness to our home. They are our little entertainers. Landon is my cleaner...always cleaning something up. And Tyler is my little love. He loves to cuddle and give hugs.

I think of the future and how wonderful it will be. All of these kids, all of these personalities, interests and dreams and goals.

My house is loud....and I LOVE it!!

It's official...

I have lost my mind!

We stopped to get ice cream for the kids on our way home last night. I thought I grabbed the ice cream bag.....

but nope, I grabbed my new boots from Ross instead and stuck them in the freezer.

The saddest part is that today (yes they were in there overnight) when I went to get something out of the freezer I saw the Ross bag and I thought to myself, "Why is there a Ross bag in my freezer? Is this a surprise from Ron?"
Hahahahaha!
Nothing yells "Woman in need of a looong break" more than a pair of frozen knee-high boots!

Man, I LOVE these kids!

The kids got a hold of the camera. Dylan must have been doing a photo shoot.

Little Miss Princess with her "Do not disturb" mask, which comes in handy when the tooth fairy is sneaking in:)

Don't even ask...they are insane:)

Passed out on the couch after church.

Tyler is such a good sport. Cierra and Jonah dressed him all up. He loved every minute of it.

Nice hair and muff!

Cierra...the camera loves her.

Heading out the door to school! Happy Friday everyone!

Brothers who pee together.....

I really hope no one reports me for putting this picture up

So the dreaded potty training began about a week ago. I put it off and put if off knowing it would be quite the undertaking..and well, I was right. The only thing that has been consistant is that they keep having accidents. Ok, Tyler did really well yesterday and I don't think he had an accident, but it could be a fluke. Landon is taking his sweet time catching on. He will go potty when I remind him but won't go on his own. If I wait 11 minutes instead of ten minutes to remind him, it is too late...he has already taken care of it in his pull-up. That boy pees A LOT!

We spend a good part of the day in the bathroom and running around without any pull-ups on. It is quite crazy. It's also been kind of crazy because I have been sick all week, so to be on potty patrol on top of feeling like crud is not real fun.

So far I would say that Tyler is about 80% potty trained and Landon about 48.5%. They have graduated to standing up when going #1..on their tiptoes mind you. Sooo cute. It is kind of sad to think that this marks another milestone and says that they aren't babies anymore. *Sniff Sniff*

Adoption

I have the absolute pleasure of knowing a really special peson and her family. My friend Audrey is one of the sweetest, most Christ-like people I have ever met and probably will ever meet. Her husband is our home teacher, her daughter and Cierra are best friends. She has helped me in more ways than she will ever know. I cherish the talks I have had with her, the advice she has given and the outlook she has helped me to adopt. I LOVE her!

So, why am I telling you this?? Well, her and her family are wanting to adopt a child. They have started a blog and I wanted to put the link up so you can go there. Maybe you know someone who knows someone who is looking for a loving home for their baby. I with absolute certainty say that any child that is adopted by them will be so blessed and loved. Heck, I wish they could adopt me;)

So, take the time to check out their story. Tell your family and friends. It would be so wonderful to have a hand in placing a child into a loving home.

http://bryantandaudrey.blogspot.com/

RIP...Football widow

So, I am sure I am not alone in the fact that I am a football widow for a few months. Between Fantasy Football, NFL, College football and coaching a football team for work, I rarely hear about much else from my husband. Phone calls...long phone calls about his fantasy stuff, practices and games, flipping back and forth between three games at a time...any of this sound familiar?

I don't get it, probably never will. I have tried watching games but I just really can't get into them. I know the saying "if you can't beat 'em, join 'em" but this one is real hard.

So, I guess the only thing to do is accept my fate for the season. I will even make sure he has his "football snacks" and probably have friends over to watch at our house just so I can still see him.

So here is a letter to my dear husband:

Dear Ron, I know you love football. I know you love me and the kids. Do your thing and enjoy this football season. The kids and I will still be here when you emerge. My hair might be a different color, but that will just make our reunion that more exciting. The only thing I ask of you is when we got out in public to please wear your blue Bronco jersey, not the BRIGHT orange one that makes you look like a hunter. Hope you picked a good line-up for your Fantasy team...and good luck.

Love, your wife